Chef Jorge Guzmán and Petite Leon sever ties

James Beard-nominated chef Jorge Guzmán announced over the weekend that he is no longer a part of Petite León, the Minneapolis restaurant he co-founded in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic with Ben Rients and Travis Serbus.

“Leaving Petite León is a bittersweet feeling for me, with many emotions involved, but I’m confident it’s the right decision for me and my family,” Guzman said in a statement.

Regulars likely won’t notice any changes to the neighborhood restaurant, said Serbus and Rients. “We’re moving into a new iteration of Petite León and it’s going to be better than ever,” said Serbus.

Serbus and Rients said the kitchen staff at Petite Leon changed when Guzmán left the day-to-day operations to focus on his newest restaurant, Chilango, which opened across from Bde Maka Ska in April 2024. Chef Ben Rockwell, a veteran of Travail and Tenant, stepped up to lead the kitchen.

What will change about the three-star restaurant, located in the Kingfield neighborhood, is the ownership structure behind the scenes. Guzmán’s shares are being migrated into an ESOP — employee stock ownership plan — giving Petite León’s employees an opportunity to participate in profit sharing.

“We feel like living our values is giving employees ownership,” said Serbus, who, with Rients, is also part of the ownership structure of Minneapolis restaurants Lynette and Little Tijuana.

“It feels like this is more reflective of the people who work inside the restaurant,” said Rients. “And it feels very Minneapolis right now.”

Through statements and social media, Guzmán said he wanted to focus on Chilango and other projects with its ownership group, Good Times Hospitality.

At Chilango, Guzmán will revive his Friends With Benefits four-course dinner series, which features top chefs from across the country, with proceeds benefiting nonprofit organizations like Open Arms, Aliveness Project and Helping Hands. This year’s lineup includes award-winning chefs Dan Jacobs of Milwaukee and Chicago’s Stephanie Izard as well as fellow Minneapolis chef Gustavo Romero.

The ownership group also bought the Woods Retreat in Orono last year, which is undergoing renovations and will be reopening soon. It’s a move that marks a change both in business and geography.

“Everything we do has roots in hospitality, but we wanted to explore other hospitality-related businesses outside of restaurants,” said partner Zach Sussman.

Guzmán is also the executive chef and minority owner of two restaurants in Dayton, Ohio — Sueño and Tender Mercy. But Petite Leon was his first solo restaurant after working at bold-name Twin Cities restaurants, including Corner Table, Solera and Surly’s boundary-pushing (and much lauded) fine-dining restaurant, Brewer’s Table.

“I have little to say at the moment, only that it was my decision for the well-being of myself and my family,” Guzman wrote on social media. “I am feeling ALL the emotions at the moment and will just be sitting with them for some time.”